Penelope Witherspoon's Travel Thread

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

I've spent most of the evening trying to get a document out, and I am tired of reading it, so I thought I would take a break and post more.  

I got up from a nice nap and headed up to the rooftop bar of my hotel for a nice glass of Portuguese sparkling wine.  You can see my lovely bandage on my hand.

At about 7:00 or 7:15, I headed to Cervejaria Ramiro.  When I got there, there were already masses of people waiting.  I had nothing better to do, so I grabbed a beer and settled in to wait.  2 hours later, I got a table.  So if you are going, go around 6, and the wait shouldn't be too bad.  7:00 or later will probably be a long wait.  However, they do have a 2 Euro Sagres beer machine on the patio.

 

Once I got in, they nicely covered up my handbag to protect it from any seafood juices.  When you order, everything is by the Kg.  As a result, I ordered one red shrimp and the lobster.  They brought the live lobster out so I could see its size, and it was just right.  I really want to return with a group of people so I can try more things.  Definitely a place to go with a group.  Ordered a half bottle of Vinho Verde to wash it all down.

The bread I ordered.  So tasty.

Red shrimp, before and after.

The lobster before and after.

The building the restaurant is in.  The restaurant is bigger on the second floor.  All those lighted windows, the entire 2nd floor, is additional seating.  Well worth a trip IMO.

Afterwards, wanted to walk around and work off some of my dinner.  This is a tile business in the same neighborhood.

Yes, that is all tile work on the front of the building.

After wandering, I headed to Cafe Klandenstino.  This was a highly recommended cocktail bar in Lisbon, so I decided to stop in.  It isn't very big, but I loved the inside of it.

There is a small loft large enough to seat a smaller group of people, 2-4 at most.

The bartender/owner and behind the bar. 

More of the interior.  

First, an A Fronteira.

Then Cha ao Fundo.

Caffe Campari

Then a Cafe Del Dueno

To be continued...

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Kafe Klandestino closes at midnight on Sunday, though I was able to hang out until about 12:30 or so, and the bartender made me a special drink, which I did not get a photo of.  Seriously, great place to grab some cocktails.

Afterwards, started wandering around.  Stopped into Gambrinus and had a few glasses of Port.  Gambrinus is old school and on my list for a return visit.

After my two glasses of port and a bica, it was almost 2 AM.  But I was less than tired, so I decided to head out for a nice walk.

First, hit Rossio Square.  My photos of the amazing stonework on the park didn't turn out, but I got a geat photo of the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, the main theater in Lisbon.  You can kind of see the wave pattern on the ground here, but again, not great.

Also, passed the Santa Justa Lift.

Then headed down to Praça do Comércio.  It was a great walk with out all the people, though there were some people out and about.  First, saw Lisbon's own Triumphal Arch, Arco da Rua Augusta.

Then got some excellent photos without all the throngs of people that ususally are in the square.

For those that do not know, old Lisbon was largely destroyed by a giant 1755 earthquake (November 1, 1755) which spawned a tsunami and massive fires.  A lot of the city was rebuilt after (except Alfama, which escaped the destruction).  This is the new Praça do Comércio, which was rebult from 1755 to 1777.

After that, grabbed an Uber back to the hotel and crashed.  Day 3 in Lisbon coming shortly.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Ok, Day 3.  Slept in pretty late after my long evening the night before.  Afterall, that is what you are supposed to do on vacation!

Had a lunch reservation at 1 at JNcQUOI.  The food here is very, very good, but it is expensive.  That being said, you get to have lunch with a dinosaur, so I was all in.

Started my lunch with the acorn fed Moldanado ham.  That is served with grilled bread with tomato.  Tomato bread has become a favorite of mine lately (Looking at you, Theodore Rex), and this was really tasty as well.

To drink, I kept with an Alvarinho, the Quinta de Soalheiro 2016 "Primeiras Vinhas".  I really enjoyed it.  

My main course, was of course, red shrimp.  The scarlet prawns were served in lemon butter and came with a basmati rice.  I also ordered some sauteed greens (deperate for some green veggies) which were excellent.  The scarlet prawns were amazing, almost as good as those at Ramiro.  As with those at Ramiro, I sucked the heads with gusto, though was a little more dainty with these.

For dessert, I had the Pao de Lo, which is a traditional Portuguese sponge cake.  Not going to lie, I am a fan of Portuguese desserts.  

After lunch, walked down Avenida da Liberdade, and took in the sites.

Eventually, game to the Gloria Funicular.  Took that up, as that was really close to the other things I wanted to see.  It was a lot of fun.

Got to see more beautiful tiled buildings.

More of Day 3 to come.  There is a lot!  Churches, ruins, and sweeping views to come.  

 

 

 

 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

First stop after lunch was the Church of St. Roch.  It is THE first Jesuit church in the Portuguese world, and one of the first in the world.  

The outside is very plain.  The inside, most definitely not.

Main chapel and knave.

Here is Chapel of Our Lady of Piety.

This chapel was founded in 1613, by Martim Gonçalves da Câmara, buried there. The decoration of the retable took place between 1707 and 1716, at the initiative of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy. As a central theme presents the "Calvary", surrounded by a crown of angels on a painted stucco background, representing the walls of Jerusalem. 

In the center, the tabernacle stands out, with a painting representing "Nossa Senhora da Soledade"; on it rests a beautiful "Pieta", in upholstered and polychrome wood, from the seventeenth century. Inside the altar-showcase is an image of the "Our Lady of Good Death". In the intrador of the arch of the chapel two sculptures are observed, representing St. Longuinho and Santa Verónica, of the beginning of century XVIII. 

This type of composition begins in Portugal a certain theatrical taste, in the decorative field of the churches, marking the transition from the "national baroque" to a style based on the concept of "stage-audience", originating from the Baroque of Bernini.

Chapel of Our Lady of Doctrine

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Doctrine was instituted in 1612 by the so-called "Congregation of Mechanical Officials or the Lady of the Doctrine" and began on March 1, 1634. 

Its decoration in gilded carving, representative of the baroque "National style" , dates from the last half of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth century. In it, elements imported from the Italian baroque are combined, namely the spiral, salomonic columns, decorated with elements of national creation, such as bunches of grapes, vines and fowl, as well as the altarpiece in the form of a Romanesque portal. To complete the gilded carving, the lower walls feature marquetry inlaid marbles, decorative technique of Italian influence. 

It is an artistic manifestation that reaches a decorative exuberance in Portugal, in the first half of the XVIII century. 

To the center of the altarpiece is an image of Santa Ana and the Virgin, in upholstered and polychrome wood from the end of the 17th century. On each side, images of São Joaquim and Santa Ana, from the same period. 

In the lateral walls, niches are observed protecting groups of reliquaries in the form of busts. 

The balustrade is in ebony wood, with marble basins, bearing the emblem of the Brotherhood of the Doctrine, according to the theme of the chapel.

The Chapel of Saint Roch - this is my personal favorite of all the chapels.

This chapel is located in the place where the head of the primitive Hermitage of S. Roque, before the construction of the present church, would be situated. After its foundation, it was administered by the Brotherhood or Confraternity of São Roque. 

The central image of the altarpiece is the church holder, in upholstered and polychrome wood, from the 17th century. On each side, two sculptures from the same period, respectively, St. James and St. Sebastian. On the altar and interspersed with the sconces of the banquette, six sculptures in silver wood represent the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, and the four holy Evangelists. 

The lateral painting, located on the left side, represents the "apparition of the angel to São Roque", executed in the second half of the sixteenth century by Gaspar Dias. It is one of the best works of this renowned painter of Portuguese mannerism. 

The tile panels on the side walls are representative of the Mannerist tiles from the late 16th century; its decoration includes scenes related to the life of S. Roque, with the signature of the author, Francisco de Matos, dated 1584, on the lower left hand side.

On the doors of the balustrade, in jacaranda wood, if the coat of arms of the Confraternity of São Roque is represented.

Chapel of Saint John the Baptist

This chapel was commissioned by D. João V to the Roman architects Luigi Vanvitelli and Nicola Salvi in 1740 and built between 1742 and 1747. On December 15, 1744, it was sacred by Pope Benedict XIV in Rome, armed for the supreme pontiff to celebrate mass on May 6, 1747. In September of that same year, it was dismantled and transported to Lisbon, in three ships, and later settled in the Church of San Roque, in the space of the old chapel of the Holy Spirit. 

The Chapel of St. John the Baptist is a unique work of art in its style, unparalleled in Italy itself, as it includes a collection of cult pieces of exceptional artistic quality, namely the collections of goldsmiths and paramentaries, which are partially exhibition at the S. Roque Museum. 

In its coatings we find several types of marbles: lapis lazuli, agate, ancient green, alabaster, Carrara marble, amethyst, purple porphyry, black-white of France, ancient breccia, diaspora, jalde and others. 

In addition to the marble, the mosaic and the golden bronze were used. The central frame and the two sides, as well as the floor, are in mosaic, artwork of great perfection. 

The central picture represents the "Baptism of Christ," and the sides, "Pentecost" (on the left) and the "Annunciation" (on the right). The model paintings of the three paintings are by Agostino Massucci, and their execution, in mosaic, was the work of Mattia Moretti. Enrico Enuo was the author of the pavement mosaic. 

The outer arch of the chapel is surmounted by the Portuguese Royal Arms. The gates and the doors in gold bronze bear the monogram of Dom João V. 

The chapel was established by Francesco Feliziani and Paolo Riccoli, and the final assembly of the mosaics "Baptism of Christ" and "Pentecost", in August 1752, after the death of D. João V, which occurred on July 31, 1750.

Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament

The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament was founded in 1636 by Luiza Frois, benefactor of the Jesuit College of Santo Antão and Casa Professa de S. Roque. Originally dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. Its decoration dates back to the second half of the 19th century. XVII, beginning of the century XVIII. 

To the center of the altarpiece is an image representing Our Lady of the Assumption, of great Baroque expression. 

The gilded carving is from the period before the "national baroque", called "protobarroco", characterized by a notorious ornamental containment. 

Part of the side walls are lined with marbles embedded, of Italian influence, work of pedraria that was completed in 1719. 

On the side walls are two paintings by Bento Coelho da Silveira, from the mid-17th century, related to the Marian theme of the chapel, respectively: "The death of the Virgin (on the right) and the" Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin "( left). 

the porch in iron, refined revivalist feature, was commissioned by the Mercy of Lisbon in the nineteenth century. the chandelier in silver, the chapel's entrance, is a piece of jewelery Porto commissioned by the Mercy of Lisbon in 1877.

 

Outside of Saint Roch, in the square, is a little cafe area.  These are all over Lisbon in the town squares.  IMO, makes the city just that more special.

Saint Roch is at the top of a hill and surrounded by many beautiful tiled buildings.  Here are some more shots from the area.

Next stop is the ruins of the church of the Carmo Convent.  This was a casualty of the 1755 earthquake.  It is an amazing site, especially as many of those arches remain intact.  

Upon leaving the ruins, behind it, there are a number of lookout points.  There is also the entrance to the top part of the Santa Justa lift.  

Right behind the Carmo ruins is Topo Chiado, a bar with amazing views.

The bar is two levels, with additional seating on a third lower level (the lounge chairs).

The view from Topo Chiado.

After a drink or two, headed back down throught he streets.  Saw this beautiful storefront.  

Saw the historic opera house.

Then, across the square, is the Filigree Museum.  

Here is an example of Filigree on a Fado guitara.

After that, headed back to the hotel and had a quiet night in.  Had to get everything packed up as I had a train to catch the next day around noon.  To be continued.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

So Day 4 started out with me trying to get all my packing finished and getting to the train station.  Traffic is Lisbon wasn't too terrible so got to the train station with a ton of time to kill.  There is actually an attached shopping center/business park to the train station, so I started walking around with my luggage looking for a place to eat.  Found the place that was full of locals and not travelers, so stopped there.  It was just a little cafe, but man, it was pretty tasty.

Went with some local wine in a jug and then the Francesinha (yes, I know it is more a Porto specialty, but since I was on my way..) which is a sandwich with , wet-cured ham, sausage, and steak, then covered with melted cheese and a hot thick gravy generally served with fries.  Or as I like to call it, heart attack platter.  

Did I mention it was topped with a fried egg?  It was good, but I could not finish it.  

Then it was time for the train journey.  It should have been just under 3 hours, but it took us 3.5. We also saw a lot of smoke once we were getting closer. Come to find out, the unseasonably warm and dry weather was causing some wildfires to break out already (hottest it got while I was there was 76, which was downright amazing).  

My train arrived at the further station, so I grabbed a cab to go to my AirBnB.  My cab dropped me off at the wrong place, so I had the fun of hauling two suitcases up a massive hill to my flat.  The lcoation was amazing, but SHIT, it was at the op of a hill which required me to go down just to go up again.  I went up and down SO many hills in three days it was amazing.  

Here are some of the amazing views off the back deck of the flat I rented.  I would not hesitate to stay there again.

 

Yes, those are houses, and yes they are missing their roofs and everything inside.  I walked by to see if they were for sale and saw nothing. I would love to buy someting like that and restore it.  I am seriously contemplating it.

You can see all the cranes. There is a ton of investment going on in Porto.  It is exciting.

Here is the front of the building that the flat I rented was in. I was on the top floor.  No elevator, but the stairs were really nice, so getting luggage up and down wasn't too bad.

After I enjoyed the back terrace, which was quite large, I went down for dinner at Cantinho do Avillez, the first Avillez restaurant in Porto.  Also convenient since it was right around the corner.  In Portugal, they ask if you want the bread service.  It does cost, but you get bread, usually some butter or some sort of sauce, and then things like olives and other little snacks.

I started with the octupus tartare and canned tuna (canned seafood is actually pretty damned tasty and is a great souvenir) with homemade mayonnaise.  This tuna actually made me want to find out where to buy some.  It was that good.

Here is where all the food comes from.

Main course was the Algarve red shrimp with thai sauce and jasmine rice.  I loved the red shrimp, but after this, I had reached my threshold on these tasty devils.  Of course, now that I am home, I wish I could get more.  Sigh.

With all my courses, I went with a staff recommended red wine, which I absolutely loved.  I would love to find this in the US, but I doubt I can very easily.

After dinner, I had some port (because I was in Porto and that is what you do).  

Finished off with the chocolate cake that is served with homemade strawberry ice cream.  It was so tasty and went well with the port.

And that wraps up day 4.  Day 5 which is tooling around Porto and the Port Houses coming up next.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

So day 5 began with coffee on the terrace and the views.  

Then I came down from my perch and started wandering around the city.

The Sao Bento train station, which has some amazing tilework inside, which I will post later.

Random building, but I love this building.

Went to Manteigaria for some pasteis de nata and coffee.

When they talk about Pasteis de Nata, it is either Pasteis de Belem or Manteigaria that get mentioned.  These were damned good and that cappuccino was also tasty.  I love the practice of the shaved or powdered chocolate on top.

The historic Majestic Cafe.  Beautiful building.  Didn't have time to stop in.

I loved the following buildings.

More of Day 5 to be continued shortly...

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Ok, so Day 5 continued with a vist to the Church of Saint Ildefonso.  I did not go in, but it is the facade that is the star here.  

Next, came up on a hospital and the Church of Treco. The outside is beautiful.  However, the streets are narrow and it was hard to get a good shot.

The typical Porto street.

Here are some views back across the Douro River in Vila Nova de Gaia.  

That bridge is the famous Ponte Luis I.  It was not built by Eiffel, but a disciple of his.  Once you cross, to the left is the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar.  

Then I took the Gondola from the top to the riverside of Vile Nova de Gaia.

At the bottom, back across the river.

The Riverside area.

You can see Porto Vasconcellos to the right right there.  And that was to be my first stop.  Port tasting coming up next.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Ok, so I stopped off at Porto Vasconcellos for a tasting.  This is a small port house.  They do not, I believe, import into the US.  

Did the vertical.  So started off with their 10 year white (no photo), then a 10, 20, 30, and 40 Tawny.

That 40 year old tawny is something special.  I ordered 6 bottles and am happy to report, they showed up safe and sound this past Friday.

After this, I headed up the hill to Taylor's.  Here is the view up, and the view back down.

The Yeatman (where I almost stayed), is right across the road from Taylor's.  Seriously thinking next trip to stay a night or two here as well.

And here is the main gate to Taylor's.

To be continued.

 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

The Taylor's tour is really, really good and I highly recommend it when in Porto.  It gives you a great overview on how Port is actually made as well as the make up of the Douro Valley.

The Taylor's tasting garden.

The tour comes with two tastes of port. A white and a young ruby.

Then you can order snacks or additional ports.  I ordered the traditional Portuguese cheese plate (had not eaten lunch, so was very hungry).  All these cheeses were fantastic.

Then I ordered two additional ports.  That late harvest from 1966 is something special.

After I was finished, I was loaded down with a very heavy bottle and my phone was dying, so I grabbed an Uber back to my flat.

After putting everything away, I set off again to tool around Port some more, just walking around town.  Went up the hill to Porto Cathedral.  Got up close and personal with the seagull (there were a ton of them around Porto).

This is the Diocese of Porto.  I absolutely loved the architecture in Porto.

More Porto to come.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

More sites from around Porto, including some cool street art, a street cat, and a little chapel below the Se.

The storefront for Claus Porto, which makes all natural soaps, lotions, and scents.  Definitely a great place to visit and something Porto is known for.  The store is located on the Rua das Flores, which in and of itself is a site.

The Bolsa Palace.

Monument Church of St. Francis

More sites in Porto to come.

 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

After walking around the main part of Porto, started heading down to the riverside.  This is one of my favorite buildings in Porto.  I love the sparkling red tiles that cover the building.  However, this building is pretty much in disrepair.  Makes me wish I could buy this building and redo it.

There is a very narrow street off to one side of this building.  This street takes you down to the river front.  On this street is the oldest house in Porto.

A couple of doors down is a very old house with a door that dates from the Middle Ages.

The street these houses are on is very old and very narrow.

Once you come to the end of this street, you are at the river.

Down below the building, is one of the original gates of the city walls.  There used to be 18, but it seems like there is only one left.  This one.

More sites along the river.

On the trek back up.

Dinner on Day 5 to come next.

 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Dinner on Day 5 was at a little place around the corner from my AirBnB called La Maison Rouge 48.  Here are some photos of the outside during the day.

The chef/owner/server (she has an assistant in the kitchen and the dining room, but basically she is the star) is Margarida, adn she is amazing.  She is fluent in English/French/Portuguese, and this turned out to be such a favorite of mine that I went two nights in a row.  Started out my meal with some white port.

Then went with the octopus.  This was absolutely great. The octopus was really fresh and oh so tasty.

Then I went with this.  I was dying for green vegetables, and this was spinach topped with ham pressed with nuts and breadcrumbs and other goodness.  It was really simple, but very satisfying.

Had some tasty red wine with this.  I wish I had gotten a picture of the bottle, but I neglected to.

Then it was dessert time.  Margarida makes all her desserts.  She usually has 4 or 5 to choose from.  And you can usually ask for smaller servings of some.  One table asked for one of each of the 4 she had that night.  I only wanted to try two.  To go with those two, I ordered two different ports.  

So, for dessert, I had the orange cake and then this amazing confection on the right which had port soaked red fruits, cream, and some sort of cake.  So amazing.

Here are some photos from the inside of the restaurant.  

Day 6 and the day in the Douro to come.

[thrillhammer 683]

i have never wanted to go to portugal before but you're doing a good job of selling it penelope.    where will you go next?

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

10 hours ago, thrillhammer said:

i have never wanted to go to portugal before but you're doing a good job of selling it penelope.    where will you go next?

Portugal and the people there are amazing.  I highly recommend it.  

Heading back to Italy later this month.  Doing Milan and Venice.  Then in November, Budapest and Prague.

[troph 24562]

Portugal is on my short list for an expat retirement location. Haven’t been yet but the pics and reading I’ve done make it seem ideal.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Ok, so Day 6 was going to be a day in the Douro.  I booked the experience through AirBnB, and it was amazing.  If you are in Porto, and want the info about it, I will send you the info.  ONe of the best I have ever had on any trip.

So walked down the hill from my flat to the São Bento train station.  

Here is a beautiful tiled building near the train station and the exterior of the train station itself.

The inside of the train station is covered in tiles.  If you want good photos, best time to go see it is early morning.  

As you come out of the Balhao metro station (FYI, the Porto metro is very nice and partially subterranean) is the Chapel of Souls.  This is possibly the most beautiful building I saw while in Portugal.

And now, the Douro Valley.

Once we got to Pinhão, we went on a boat tour.  It was run by Douro Vintage Boats, and they are absolutely great.

Our Boat.

Had some lovely snacks and glasses of port while on the boat.

And here are the sites along the river from the boat tour.

Here is Pinhão from the boat.

This bridge, per our guides, was designed by Eiffel.  I have found that some of what is attributed to Eiffel in Portugal is not.  But still a cool bridge.

And here are our boat tour guides.  These guys were great.  Cannot recommend them enough!

More Douro Valley to come.

 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

56 minutes ago, troph said:

Portugal is on my short list for an expat retirement location. Haven’t been yet but the pics and reading I’ve done make it seem ideal.

I would love to buy one of the falling down townhomes in Porto and redo it.  I think it would be amazing.

[WBT 20415]

Wow, great pics and thanks for posting!  I spent two days in Lisbon.  The Carmo Convent is one of the coolest sites I've seen.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

After our boat trip, we loaded back up and headed to a fantastic look out point.  There was a van full of French folks enjoying a beer at the lookout point, and we all stopped and chatted with them.  Fun fact, the Douro is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world.  

Here are some of the views from the look out.

We then headed back across the river and made our way to Tabuaço for lunch.  Here are more sites along the drive.

Here is where we were going to lunch.

It was packed and full of locals.  We had a very traditional lunch.  First, we started out with salad, cheese, and olives.  The salad was simple, but had local onions, which were very, very good.  Also, the olive oil was local.  

Oh yes, we had a lot of wine at lunch.  We had both whites and reds, and there were many refills.  The chef of this restaurant, who is originally Austrian, also came and sat with us for a bit.  He is a chef and also makes wine.  Here is our tour guide.  He and his family live in the Douro and have started doing this full time.  Again, I highly recommend his tour.  It also helped that our tour group (there were only 4 of us) was a great group to spend the day with.

The first of the main courses was the traditional Portuguese cod (i.e. they catch the cod, then salt it to store it).  It is actually very, very tasty.  

We had a second main of some beautiful steak, but I did not grab a picture of that.  More wine though.

Finally, we had port (no photos) and desser.

After a few more drinks, we haded back and were to head to Croft for more port.  Here are more sites around the valley.

Photos from Croft to come shortly...

 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Our tour continued at Croft's Quinta da Roêda.  In Portugal, the Quinta is the vineyard or farm.  Here are what are called the breasts of the Douro (seriously) which is wine storage.

One of the places where the workers stay during harvest.

There are two dogs that are on the property, Zig and Zag.  I do not remember which is which, but they were awesome.  We definitely spent a good 15 minutes at the end of the day petting the dogs.  Good dogs.

For the weather this day, it was sunny and around 72-75.  So PERFECT weather.  

This is an old olive press.

And here are the vineyards of the Quinta.  They use lavender at the end of the rows to keep pests away.

We had a tour guide from Croft who was explaining things about the various vineyards and how they do things at this Quinta.

Here are a few views looking back throught the Quinta and across the Douro.

After harvest, if you visit this Quinta, Croft will allow visitors to stomp on the grapes, and then they can get a bottle of what they stomped.  Here is where that occurs. 

After our tour, we had a lovely tasting on their tasting room terrace.  It was lovely.

More doggy shots.

So, that wraps up the Douro day.  My take of Port ended up being 6 bottles that I had shipped from Vasconcellos (2 10 yr White, 1 20 Tawny, 1 30 Tawny, 2 40 Tawny) and this haul, which I did bring back in my luggage.

The two Croft boxes hold vintage port, from 2003 and 2016, which I have been assured are fantastic years.  They will be aging and perhaps one will be brought out when I turn 45 or 50.

Dinner on my last evening in Porto to come.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

For dinner, I went back to La Maison Rouge 48.  

Started with some Port (as you do) with some traditional Portuguese sausage (so good).

Went with some white to go with my main, which was a seafood and rice dish.  The seafood was very, very good.  The gravy in this dish was wonderfully flavored.

I valiently tried to finish, but I ate all the seafood out of it.  The shrimp and cod were standouts, but loved all the little mollusks as well.  

Went with two of the 5 desserts that night.

When I go back to Porto, I will definitely be back to visit Margarida at La Maison Rouge 48.  That wraps up Porto.  The next day, I hung around the house and repacked before heading to the train station early to catch my train.

Porto is really an amazing city, and I cannot wait to go back.

Last day or two in Lisbon to come.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

So, after three nights in Porto, came back to Lisbon for two more nights.  That first night, I ordered some Piri Piri chicken in and rested.  

However, had a great view from my AirBnB.

Woke up on my last full day in Lisbon and headed early to Manteigaria.

The Baixa Chiado station.  It is a good place to cut through as it has all sorts of escalators.

Some more sites around Lisbon.

Finally decided to take the 28 Tram.  

Got off the tram, and wandered around Alfama.

While wandering around, stopped in a gourmet shop and had some Ginjinha.  I seriously love this stuff.

And finally, the mosaic of Amalia Rodrigues.

Tuk Tuk tour and amazing views of Lisbon to come.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

So, was supposed to fly to Milan today. If you read the dog thread in Bada Bing, you know my old girl Abby isn't feeling well. As a result, I've cancelled this trip to try and help her pull through. Obviously, I'm disappointed, but I'd be devastated if I wasn't here for Abby and the worst were to happen. Keep Abby in your thoughts.

[tx 3 putt 76314]

I hope Abby feels better 

Edited May 23, 2019 by tx 3 putt

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

I am trying to keep the sadness out of this thread, but we had to say goodbye to Abby last Friday (update is in the Dog thread in Bada Bing).  We are trying to reschedule the Italy trip, so we are looking at doing Rome and Venice now (rather than Milan - I will do Milan solo on a later trip when I want to do some shopping).  We are probably moving this one to the last two weeks of March, which means my Spain at Easter trip will get pushed back a year.  

Tentative plan is the trip is my mom and I.  We will fly in and out of Rome.  Spend 3 nights in Rome, then 7 nights in Venice (we want to make Venice our base so we can go see Verona and the wine areas as well as the other Venetian islands), then 3 more nights in Rome.  That gives us lots of time to tick things off, but also take our time and just wander.

Then I am thinking Greek Islands in September 2020.  Other than Milos, no idea where else.  Probably want to fit in two islands.  Might do Crete and Milos.  Not sure yet.

[Raw60 0]

 I am loving your trip report,  you have a wonderful writing style that pairs perfectly with your great photos.  As I am going to Lisbon and Porto in July this has been very informative for my upcoming trip. I am interested in the Douro tour you took as it looked like it encompassed a lot of things and not just the vineyards. I am going with someone that does not drink so this could be a good option. I already have reservations for Cervejaria Ramiro, so i can avoid the long lines. I also have reservations for Casa de Chá da Boa Nova, which is about 30 minutes outside of Porto. Not sure if you are familiar with this place. So sorry to hear about Abby’s passing.

 

 

 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

2 hours ago, Raw60 said:

 I am loving your trip report,  you have a wonderful writing style that pairs perfectly with your great photos.  As I am going to Lisbon and Porto in July this has been very informative for my upcoming trip. I am interested in the Douro tour you took as it looked like it encompassed a lot of things and not just the vineyards. I am going with someone that does not drink so this could be a good option. I already have reservations for Cervejaria Ramiro, so i can avoid the long lines. I also have reservations for Casa de Chá da Boa Nova, which is about 30 minutes outside of Porto. Not sure if you are familiar with this place. So sorry to hear about Abby’s passing.

 

 

 

Thank you for your condolences.  We are getting by.  I find that planning trips is somewhat therapeutic, and since it is something I enjoy, it helps me.  Very therapeutic. 

The tour I took is one that is available on AirBnB.  I have found that the experiences I have done through there have been top notch.  Here is the link to the Douro Valley tour.  It was amazing.  https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/181572

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Ok. Finally got the first real post on my website published.

https://www.mlleshetravels.com/single-post/2019/06/15/Mlle-She-Travels-Favorite-CafC3A9s-in-Paris

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

So, I have one or two more posts from Losbon. Then, I just got back from a quick trip to NYC. Should get both up this week.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

So, I have been crazy busy because as usual, life waits for no woman.  However, here is my final post regarding Lisbon.

After wandering around Alfama, I went and did a "Tuk Tuk" tour of Lisbon.  I highly recommend one of these when you first get to Lisbon.  It allows you to see more of the city very quickly.

Here is the vehicle for our tour.  I love these little things.

First, here is one of the oldest bookstores in Lisbon, Livraria Bertrand.

Next, here is another one of the cafe areas that litter the squares of Lisbon.

Facade of a beautiful tiled building in Lisbon.

Next, we stopped for refreshment (I got a porto tonico, everyone else got hot chocolate or coffee) and the amazing views at Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara.

Next, we headed down to the political quarter and saw the Portuguese Parliament building.

Then we headed over to Alfama.  On the way there, we saw Palacete Chafariz D'El Rei, which is a hotel.  It is built in Neo-Moorish style.  It definitely stood out, and when I return to Lisbon, I will seriously think about staying there.

Next it was up to another lookout spot and the Capela de Nossa Senhora do Monte at Miradouro da Nossa Senhora do Monte.

And the views...

While up here, we had Ginjinha and took some great photos.  

Then it was back down the hill.  Here is the Igreja de São Vicente de Fora.

The short two story house is one of the oldest in Lisbon, if not the oldest.

And then finally, Lisbon Cathedral. 

All that is left now is one more meal and some shots from my balcony.  

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

So lunch was to be a late lunch at Prado.  Prado is right on the border of Alfama.  

Asked my server to help me with her recommendations, and so went with some of her recommendations. Started with the Wheat Bread with Fresh goat butter, smoked salt and sea lettuce and Beaten black pork fat, garlic and bay.

Next, was the tartar taco (offical name...Tartar de Barrosã and grilled Galician cabbage)

This was absolutely amazing.  I loved it.  If you go here, GET THIS.  I think they keep this on the menu no matter the season.

For wine, I went with Vinho Verde and stuck with it.

Next, white asparagus.  I cannot recall the particulars of the sauce, but I seem to remember it was a lemon and wine sauce. I do remember it was very good, and I used bread to sop it up.  Waste not, want not.

Next, this was a local fish in, a cream sauce (I seem to think it might have been chestnut, but I cannot recall and I did not write it down) with mushrooms.  This was absolutely fantastic.  

And for dessert, I went with their version of coffee panna cotta.  Honestly, this was probably the least favorite thing I had my entire trip, which was disappointing.  However, everything else at Prado was amazing, so I will forgive them the dessert.

The inside of Prado is amazing.  Here is the back bit of the restaurant.

Finally, a few more shots while going to pick up my dad's Portuguese guitar.

Here are some sunset views from my apartment.

And that is it!  It was a great trip.  Will definitely go back to Lisbon and Porto at some point.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Seriously woman, do you get paid to travel the world ??!!  Cause I'm jealous as shit, and I'm never jealous of other peoples possessions or success.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

1 minute ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Seriously woman, do you get paid to travel the world ??!!  Cause I'm jealous as shit, and I'm never jealous of other peoples possessions or success.

This is just me finishing up my trip from March.  

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

7 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

This is just me finishing up my trip from March.  

Thanks for that lemon juice laced paper cut.....   : ) 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Ok, so a few weekends ago, I was in NYC.  It was a quick trip and last minute, but I tried to make the most of it.  

Friday was dinner at Frenchette.  I went early, around 7, and hoped for a seat at the bar after a short wait.  Lo and behold, there was no wait.  There was an empty seat with my name on it.

Started out with a cocktail while I looked at the menu.  Went with the Frenchette Swizzle.  It is rum, armagnac, peach, falernum, pineapple, absinthe.

The bar at Frenchette.

To go with dinner, went with this bottle.  It is from Jura.

For my first course, I went with the white asparagus with sorrel, champignon de Paris, and bottarga.  So, so good.

Then, for my main, Lapin a la Moutarde.  This was fantastic.  If you are Frenchette this summer though, I do not think it is currently on the menu.

For dessert, went with Tarte aux apricots.  It came with camomile ice cream and whipped ricotta.  It was very, very, very good.  Not too sweet, which is very good. 

Next, the gentlemen next to me had the pistachio Paris Brest, which I had recommended to them (I was going to get that, but I was too full).  It was too much for the two of them, so they asked if I would like to try it.  I did.  It was good.

Next, went with a Pineau de Charentes Rose cocktail, which was just the Pineau and really good tonic.  This was great as an after dinner drink.  I want bottles of this particular Pineau.

Finally, ended the night with a Vesper.

Really enjoyed my night at Frenchette.  If you live in NYC, this could easily become a regular haunt.  After my vesper, I grabbed an Uber (no cabs were coming by at the time), and headed back to my hotel.  Next day in NYC to come.

 

 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

So, I slept in Saturday morning.  By the way, stayed at the Moxy in downtown.  It is relatively minimalist from a decor perspective, but very comfortable, so I recommend it as you can usually get a pretty decent deal there.

When I finally woke up, I decided to go grab "brunch" at Nom Wah Tea Parlor.  On my walk there, I passed by City Hall, which was all decked out for Pride.

Yes, it was an absolutely gorgeous day.

Chinatown. 

Got to Nom Wah, and of course there was a wait, but it wasn't too bad.  Being a table of 1 means you sometimes get seated a bit earlier.

The thing I hate about solo at Nom Wah is that I cannot eat everything I order.  I only want a taste or two of everything, and always overorder.  Oh well, first world problems I suppose.

Ordered scallion pancakes, House special roast pork bun, pan-fried dumplings (cannot remember which ones, but they were both fantastic), the original "OG" egg roll, and some tea (I had had WAY too much to drink the night before).

The special pork bun and the dumplings were outstanding.  While I love scallion pancakes, these were just a tad too oily for my taste.  The OG is good, but I was already pretty full when they brought it out.  All in all, a good meal for an early afternoon after imbibing a bit too much.

I then walked around chinatown and nolita for a while.  One of my favorite blocks in NYC is the block of Elizabeth between Prince and Houston.  Once I got there, I popped into the Claus Porto store to grab some frangrances.  The inside of the store is amazing (all made of Portuguese cork).  Definitely worth a stop when you are in NYC.

Down the street is Sezane, another of my favorites.  For those in NYC, take your spouse shopping and enjoy the scenery.

There are a lot of other really cool and pretty unique shops (for NYC) on this block.  Seriously, a good place to spend some time.

Cool building with gold acrobat figures.  

Decided to take a cocktail break at Atla.  Had a Que Sabor! which is Pisco 100, Nuestra Soledad San Baltazar, Pina, Passion Fruit, and Canela.  It was really good.

When I was there, I published to my website.  For those that care, that is www.mlleshetravels.com.  I am working on two or three posts right now as I do this (and laundry, so glamorous), the first of which should post tonight.

Then I needed coffee and a sweet snack.  Across the street is Lafayette.  So I popposed in for some caffeine.

More NYC to come...

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

I had a super late dinner reservation for Le Coucou, so I wanted to pop in to Excuse my French for a few cocktails, and maybe a snack as I had heard that their food was actually quite good.  

Ordered a Tantalus.

I really enjoyed this cocktail.  

Ordered a cheese plate and some foie gras pops.  The cheese plate comes with two cheeses.  Picked Ossau Iraty and roquefort.  It was much more than I had anticipated, especially given how big the foie gras pops were (massive!).  

The food was really good, but I did not finish as if I had, there would have been no way I would have been hungry for Le Coucou.  

I did have a second cocktail, which was a Lavender "Kir" Royale.  They are known for their "Kir" Royales.  I want to go back just to try some of these.

I schlepped back to the hotel and decided to have a nap since dinner was so, so late.  More to come.

[tx 3 putt 76314]

Great pics !

[Reynolds Woodcock 4659]

On 7/7/2019 at 2:13 PM, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Cool building with gold acrobat figures.  

 

 

Just an interesting factoid, the 5th floor of that building used to be Robert Mapplethorpe's studio. 

I've since been dragged to the west village by my wife, but I used to live on mott between prince and houston. Agree those are a great couple of blocks to wander around.  

[Whatnateate 0]

Hi which duoro experience did you partake in? I’m here in Porto but had my Douro tour cancel on my last minute so am scrambling to find alternatives. Thanks!

[Whatnateate 0]

1 hour ago, Whatnateate said:

Hi which duoro experience did you partake in? I’m here in Porto but had my Douro tour cancel on my last minute so am scrambling to find alternatives. Thanks!

Nvm, just saw the link above. Thanks!

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Headed to Copenhagen tomorrow for work. On the waitlist for Noma, but doubt I get in. However, also going the first week in December and have a table at Geranium. Fun times.

[Brisketexan 104557]

Headed to Copenhagen tomorrow for work. On the waitlist for Noma, but doubt I get in. However, also going the first week in December and have a table at Geranium. Fun times.

We had an AMAZING tasting menu at Brace. No star...and a lot of folks expect it to get one. You can get in, and have an incredible three hour dinner.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

19 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

We had an AMAZING tasting menu at Brace. No star...and a lot of folks expect it to get one. You can get in, and have an incredible three hour dinner.

I have it on my list.  Tonight is the first night I have had to do anything (moving and new job) and I leave tomorrow.  Sigh.  I got the idea from your report FYI.  Also going to stop by the Tivoli foodhall.  

[Brisketexan 104557]

13 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

I have it on my list.  Tonight is the first night I have had to do anything (moving and new job) and I leave tomorrow.  Sigh.  I got the idea from your report FYI.  Also going to stop by the Tivoli foodhall.  

That foodhall is so kick-ass.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Ended up sleeping after my flight and woke up around 7. By the time I got showered and out of the hotel, I decided to go to Hika de Sanchez for tacos. I know, but these are really good Mexico City style tacos. And the beer was cold and good.

The other advantage is a 5 minute walk away is Mikkeller, where I am currently perched on a bar stool at the bar enjoying a Mikkeller Vesterbro Farmhouse which is an Oak Aged Saison.

I figure I'll try 4 or 5 more beers, and then head back to John's for my late night snack.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Welp, I finally got part 2 of my two part review up on my website.  Please stop by and check it out.

https://www.mlleshetravels.com/single-post/2019/09/16/MlleSheTravels-Restaurant-Review-Montée-in-Two-Parts---Part-2

[tx 3 putt 76314]

Congrats on the new job !

great write up 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Got caught in a hail storm, in Copenhagen, while wandering around before my dinner res at Høst.

 

 

 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

Høst was most excellent.